


Amnesia

by shortypipatrick



Category: Good Mythical Morning, Rhett & Link
Genre: Angst, Emotionally compromised Rhett, Fluff, Hurt Link, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sadness, Snowboarding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-05-25 05:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6182536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shortypipatrick/pseuds/shortypipatrick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on RhettandLinKast "True Story of Link's Broken Pelvis"</p><p>Rhett and Link go on a snowboarding trip in 1999. Although, overconfidence and not enough warning bring forth unforeseen consequences. Now, Rhett must learn to live with what has happened, or else he might lose his life long friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first story, and because I am currently going to school, I don't suppose that it will be updated more than once a week.

It was one of those days that really deceives the eyes. The sun was shining as brightly as ever, well illuminating the yellow-green grass and the evergreens that were standing as tall as ever. Despite the deciduous trees standing bare, it looked like it might be summertime. The air was clear as crystal. The sun was shining, unhindered by any sort of fog or cloud. Upon stepping outside, though, it was quickly revealed to be very different. The air was bitterly cold, enough to burn any exposed skin as the wind blew unforgivingly. The grass was green, though it was far from standing tall, as the long winter months had weakened it, causing it to weaken and discolor. Despite the cold, the ground was wet with the melted remains of the morning's frost which had managed to melt as the winter sun shined on it. All that remained of any snow were in the shadows of patches of trees, barely kept there by the chilling gusts of wind that could slip easily between the thin, bare branches. It looked like spring, but it felt like the dead of winter. 

This weather didn't come often, even in the winter in North Carolina. So, no one living in this complex was exactly expecting the cold when they stepped out of their apartments. Shouts were heard everywhere, but they were mainly the surprised shouts of inhabitants when they were hit by the blasts of cold air as they stepped outside. Link Neal was one of the many that stepped out of his apartment building to be shocked by the intense cold. "Gosh, Rhett!" He looked at his much taller friend as he spoke. "You said it was gonna be warm out here!" With a loud huff, Link wrapped his arms tightly around himself.

Rhett smiled at Link, and he pulled the sides of his open jacket around himself, trying to brace himself against the cold. Of course, it didn't work, because the harsh winds easily penetrated the jacket that was hardly covering his entire arms. With how tall he was, it was nearly impossible for Rhett to find a jacket that would fit properly, especially in Buies Creek North Carolina, where it can be difficult to find a winter coat anyway. "I thought it would be warm, man! It looked like it was!" He had, of course, looked out the window in their small living room to check the weather, which had subsequently lead him to believe that the weather would be at least sixty degrees warmer than it was. Looking back, Rhett knew that wasn’t a very good indication because it was it was still mid-January; never a warm time, even in North Carolina. It was literally below freezing, definitely not what either of them was expecting at this point.

“You should have checked, Rhett!” Link rolled his eyes at the taller man, wrapping his arms tightly around himself, trying to preserve some of his body heat. He hadn’t put on a coat, because of what Rhett had said the weather was like. ‘Nice,’ he’d said, ‘the sun’s out and everything,’ At the moment, all he was wearing was a gray cardigan and a purple t-shirt on under that. The frown on the shorter man’s face only seemed to deepen as the wind whipped through his messy hair and chilled his skin even through his shirt and cardigan. 

Rhett’s response was to laugh. “I did check! I looked out the window. Besides, Link, we’re going snowboarding in a few days, anyway! It’ll be cold then, too! Even colder than this.” Link shook his head. They had been on their winter break for some time now, although they were just heading off to go snowboarding, something they hadn’t done since December the year before. They both liked to get out, and since one of their friends had invited them, they had no reason to decline.

Link scoffed. “So? I didn’t want to freeze right now! I can’t even get my jacket since you went and put it in your bag!” He was shivering now, enough that Rhett could see the shorter man’s hands shaking.

Rhett laughed again, and he continued to hold his own jacket tightly against himself with one hand, and with the other, he reached out to take Link’s. Reluctantly, Link held out one of his hands, and he took Rhett’s though his grip was far from forgiving. He clung so tightly to the taller man that his knuckles went white. The two had been dating for some time, so this was nothing new. Almost everyone had known since their freshman year of college, actually. Often Rhett looked back on the day they’d begun dating, always a sort of fond smile on his face. 

*****

“Rhett!” Link shouted even though he was just on the other side of their minuscule dorm. He was holding an empty cereal box in his hand, and he looked like he was absolutely fuming. His eyebrows were knitted together, and his mouth was pressed into a tight line. It was the epitome of pissed off Charles Neal. Rhett immediately reacted by lifting the nearest throw pillow off the couch and holding it up in front of his face. 

“Rhett isn’t here right now.” His voice was muffled by the pillow. Although, even with as hard as he was trying to be amusing, Link just wasn’t having it.

“Rhett!” He repeated himself, this time sounding angrier than he had before. “Seriously!”

“Yeah?” The taller man asked softly, sounding as innocent as he could, even though he knew that Link knew he was guilty. “Is something the matter?” He peeked up over the edge of the pillow.

Rolling his eyes, Link threw the cardboard box at Rhett as hard as he could, and Rhett easily lifted the pillow, blocking the path of the box so that it didn’t hit him in the face. “Whoa, brother!”

“That was my cereal, man!” Link threw his arms in the air as he shouted, and then he slammed them down, hitting himself in the legs. Rhett had to suppress a laugh because Link’s anger at the cereal was something that always had amused him. Link’s absolute favorite food was that cereal, and so in the manner of best friends and roommates, Rhett obviously had to eat it. Again. Just so he could see Link react to it. 

“Calm down, Link! I’ll get you some more, alright?” Rhett sat up. Link just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest. Rhett just smiled, because even if the thought was just in his subconscious, he thought Link looked irresistible like that; angry, with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, just about ready to yell about cereal yet again.

“Please, Rhett! We have class in half an hour! We don’t have any time to go out and get more cereal!” Suddenly, as if a switch had been flicked, Link looked stressed. The man had a particular routine, and he had to stick to it. If he didn’t, his entire day could be thrown off. It just so happens that Link’s cereal is a part of his routine. Rhett sat up, chuckling a little as he looked at Link. 

“Link, really, it’s not a big deal! I’ll make you something else.” Rhett sat up, bending to pick up the now empty cereal box before he stood and walked towards Link. Link just watched him, his arms still tightly crossed over his face, and a disbelieving, stressed look on his face.

“Rhett.” Link was impatient. Rhett didn’t respond. Instead, he continued to walk towards their small cupboard. “Rhett.” Link just spoke more loudly, and Rhett continued not to respond. He didn’t have a particular reason for that, he just wasn’t sure he wanted to hear Link complain about the cereal. He just wanted to make him some breakfast, so that maybe he would calm down a little. He loved frustrated Link, he didn’t love stressed Link. Suddenly, though, he was stopped by a hand being pressed on his chest. He froze, looking down at Link’s hand, that was splayed out across the center of his chest. His eyes followed the man’s thin arm, up to his broad shoulder, and then up to the stubble on his chin. His skin wasn't as tan as it usually was in the summer months, but it was still a shade or two darker than his own. His adam’s apple was as prominent as ever, barely touched by the stubble that was left on his chin from a few lazy days with no shaving. Rhett appreciated everything about the man in front of him, and even though he understood what that meant, at that moment, he refused to acknowledge it.

Rhett could feel his heart skip a beat the moment he realized just how close he was standing to Link and he knew the man could feel his heartbeat increase. When he finally met Link’s crystalline eyes, Link moved his hand and took a short step back, as if he was just realizing how close the two were to each other as well.

Rhett raised his eyebrow at the smaller man, and he turned a little so that he was facing him, instead of standing at the awkward angle he had been standing at. He didn’t say anything. He watched Link silently as if he was waiting for him to say something. Link just stared right back at him, though. He had been about to say something, but for some reason, Rhett’s proximity had made him forget. He just looked at him, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly as he tried to find words. Nothing came to him, though. There was no sudden realization, nothing like that. It really proved that this wasn't a fairytale. He just looked up at Rhett silently. 

Rhett just watched Link struggle for a moment before a smile spread across his face. Link’s face flashed with something between annoyance and confusion. “Why are you smiling?”

Rhett shook his head, his smile was not fading. “You’re ridiculous, Link.”

Link frowned instantly, crossing his arms tightly over his broad, albeit, thin chest. “What do you mean?” He spoke almost defensively, trying to look like he could even be intimidating. This, of course, only make Rhett want to laugh harder. 

“It was just cereal, Link! It’s not really a big deal!” Rhett took a step back as Link took a half playful swing at him. Despite Rhett’s poor attempt to dodge it, Link’s fist hit him square in the chest, but of course, it hardly hurt because Link hadn’t really been trying to hurt him. Rhett just laughed, which frustrated Link further.

“It was MY cereal, Rhett!” Link nearly shouted, and he crossed his arms tightly over his chest again. “I’ve told you this before.”

“I know that, Link. I was hungry, though, and we were all out of noodles-”

Link quickly interjected, “you could have gotten more, and you didn’t have to leave the empty box in the cupboard!” Rhett raised a brow again, looking his friend over once more. His hair, which was bleached at the time, was disheveled, and his face was really trying to look annoyed. The taller man thought it was absolutely adorable.

“I love you.” Rhett mumbled. The moment the words left his lips, though, he looked surprised at himself for saying it. He often said a lot of things before he got the chance to really think it through, or imagine what the consequences could be of possibly saying it. Unfortunately - or so he thought - this was one of those times.

“What?” Link almost looked as surprised as Rhett, but there was a hint of something else. A light, playful look in his eyes that overpowered the initial shock of what Rhett had said. Of course, Rhett hadn’t noticed that at the time, but looking back, it was pretty obvious that Link was amused by the comment from the start, and not at all actually bothered by it.

“I, uh..” Rhett’s mind was racing, his thoughts moving through his mind at a million miles an hour. “I just meant that- You just- Uh..” His mouth was moving with words that weren’t fully formed or voice, a clear representation of the panic running through his mind. Had he really just said that? Did he mean it? Of course, he meant it. He loved Link. He always had, really. They had been best friends since first grade. It was clear to Rhett that he loved Link, but there wasn't an indication that Link loved him. Would he hate him for saying it? Would he be annoyed by him? Would he move out? Maybe never talk to him again? For some reason, Rhett was assuming all of this of the same man that he’d known since first grade. He knew that Link was such a good person- He wouldn’t hate him. He’d just think he was weird. Maybe he might assume there’s something wrong with him. Rhett didn’t even notice the dark blush that had spread across Link’s face the moment the words had left his mouth.

“Rhett!” Link reached up, and he lightly smacked the side of Rhett’s face. That finally snapped Rhett out of his trance, and he blinked a few times and looked at Link. 

“Sorry.” His voice was barely a breath because suddenly he was very afraid. In such a short amount of time, he’d managed to convince himself that Link would hate him for this. 

“Rhett.. Take a breath.” Link let his hand drop, and he gave Rhett a small smile. That’s when Rhett finally realized that Link didn’t look upset at all. He looked amused, the same expression on his face that Rhett was sure he’d had on his own when Link had been upset over the cereal. “It’s fine, really. And, if it’s any consolation,” Link’s hand found its way to Rhett’s chest again, and this time, it stayed there, “I love you, too.” Rhett felt a blush spread across his cheeks. Link had always been the bold one of the two, talking to strangers and whatnot. Even despite that, though, he was shocked by what Link had said. 

“What?” Rhett asked quietly, staring down at the smaller man. He got a short nod in response. 

“Your heart’s beating really fast, Rhett..” Link noted, and he smiled a little, looking at his hand across Rhett’s chest, and then looking up at Rhett’s face again. Rhett swallowed thickly, nodding a little at Link. They were very close to each other. As foreign as this situation was, Rhett couldn’t help but look down at Link’s sharp, pink lips, licking his own as he looked at them. This had been coming for some time. One of them would make an off-handed comment, maybe one would get flustered when their knees touched while they were studying or sitting on their small couch. The signs had been there for all this time, and in this moment, looking back, none of them were even really subtle. 

Neither of them was really sure what it was about this morning that finally did it for both of them. Maybe it was, in fact, Rhett’s lame prank. Maybe it was that they had fallen asleep the night before, entwined in each other on the couch, Link laying on Rhett’s chest, Rhett's arm protectively wrapped around his shoulders. Whatever it was, it was about time they both realized it. Link smiled, and carrying on his bold spirit, he leaned up, and he planted a chaste kiss on Rhett’s lips. 

****

“Rhett! Are you going to unlock the car?” Link’s voice and a sharp tug on his hand pulled Rhett out of his little flashback. Somehow, he’d gotten so wrapped up in the sweet memory, he’d missed half of the walk from the building to the car. He silently hoped that Link hadn’t said anything important, or anything at all, really because he’d really feel horrible if he’d missed something. Listening to Link was one of his favorite things to do. He could listen to the man talk and laugh for hours about anything and he would never tire of it.

Rhett snapped himself out of his thoughts quickly, before he could let himself get carried away again. “Oh! Yeah, sorry ‘bout that.” He gave Link a sheepish looking smile, and he shoved his hand into his pocket and he pulled his keys out. 

“Just hurry up! It’s freezing!” Link pouted, even sticking his lower lip out, pouting as he kept his now shaking arm wrapped tightly around himself. Link had neve been great with the cold. He always shook like a leaf. Rhett liked to blame it on how skinny the shorter man was, but he always seemed to disagree. ‘I just wasn’t built for the cold’ is what he would always insist. Rhett would always just smile and shake his head. 

Rhett quickly unlocked the passenger door of the old red pickup, the same one Link had gotten so many years ago. It had its flaws, like the malfunctioning right speaker, and the loud engine, and the torn up upholstery, but it was what he had, and neither were about to complain. He pulled the door open so that Link could climb in as he went around to his own side. Link climbed in quickly, slamming the door shut before Rhett even got the chance to unlock his own. He smiled and shook his head, and he imagined Link was sitting in the seat, curled up on himself, doing anything and everything he could to keep himself from freezing as he waited for Rhett. He didn't exactly take his time slinging the heavy bags, which were filled to the brim with clothes, into the back of the truck. That wasn't what his priority was, at the moment. He was focused on getting into the truck, so he could turn the heat on for Link. 

Just as he was heading to his door, he froze, and he quickly turned back to grab his bag. He opened it swiftly, licking his lips as he dug through it to find Link’s jacket. When he finally found it, he zipped the bag again, and then he ran to his door and unlocked it as quickly as his freezing fingers would allow. 

When Rhett finally got in, Link was doing exactly what Rhett had predicted he’d be doing, although he was also bouncing his legs, and he had both of his arms wrapped tightly around himself. “Rhett,” he whined, “the heat!” He reached over, and with a grateful smile, he took his jacket from Rhett’s hand, and he put it on quickly, before he curled up on himself again. 

Rhett laughed softly at him, and he shoved the key into the ignition, put his foot on the brake pedal, and started the old truck. Link immediately reached over and cranked the heat up all the way. It would take more than a couple minutes for it to really warm up, and Link knew that, so he wanted to make sure that when it finally got there, it would be really warm. “Alright,” Rhett spoke as he carefully pulled out of his parking spot, “we’ve just got to stop at home to grab our supplies, then we can head out.”

Link grinned, since he’d been looking forward to this trip all month, and it really had been mostly what he’d been talking about. Rhett didn’t mind that, of course. He always had loved the way Link’s eyes would light up whenever he would talk about something he was really excited about. It was one of the best times, Rhett found, to look into those bright blue eyes and love the beauty he found in them. “Great. The sooner the better, baby.” 

Rhett laughed at the smaller man’s enthusiasm, and he kept his eyes on the road as he reached over and started the music. Merle Haggard blasted from the working speaker as Rhett reached over and took his boyfriend’s hand. He was sure of it; this would be an amazing trip.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies, because nothing really happens in this chapter. It's just a filler, leading up to the things that will come.

Rhett did is best to try to obey traffic rules as he drove himself and Link home, but with the music blasting, and Link chattering excitedly next to him, he ended up speeding to get there faster, if not just so he could see the joy in Link’s eyes when they finally would arrive at the slopes. They weren’t pulled over, though, and Link didn't comment on the speed, so Rhett figured it must be alright. 

The ride went by in a blur. It was just an hour’s worth of driving to get back home, but it felt like much less. Like the saying says, time really does fly when you’re having fun (or when you’re sitting in the car with the man you love, listening to him talk about the things that he loves, with a light excited tone in his voice and the music blasting through the working left speaker). Rhett looked over at Link often, taking his eyes off the road for maybe a little too long, just so that he could look at Link while he talked about how much fun the upcoming trip would be. Rhett figured maybe he did relish too much in looking at Link, but what could he say? At this point, it was more than infatuation. He felt a burning desire to spend all of his time staring at Link because he loved everything about him.

Their first stop was at Rhett’s parents’ house. Since Rhett’s parents weren't home, they didn't end up taking any extra time to say hello. Rhett led the way up to the house, and with the spare key he still had in his possession, he let himself and Link into the quaint home.

Their venture through the home that they’d both known well since childhood included running to the closet in what used to be Rhett’s room and digging around to find all of his snowboarding gear. He and Link kept their gear at their parents’ homes, because in their little apartment, there really wasn’t room for everything like that. They were in and out rather quickly, though. With their arms full, they ventured back outside, loaded the truck, and then they were on their way to their next stop; Link’s parent’s house.

The drive there was short, and Rhett drove once again. Link had, of course, offered to drive, but Rhett had promptly declined, saying ‘if your hands are still shaking that much, there’s no way you’ll get us there alive.” Link had tried to argue, but Rhett was as more stubborn than he could hope to be. It took some time, and some determined arguing, but Link eventually gave in.

When they arrived a short time later, Rhett carefully pulled into the driveway, and before he even had the car in park, Link was pulling off his seatbelt, fully ready to just jump out of the car, only held there by Rhett’s hand wrapped around his own. He didn't actually let go of the smaller man until the car came to a stop, and he only let go then, because he had to let go so that he could put the old truck in park. As Rhett pulled the key out of the ignition, Link’s shaky hands hurried to zip up his coat. The cold air that seemed to already be snaking its way into the cabin of the truck at the lack of the feverish air from the heater promised the same hellish weather outside.

Rhett watched as Link took a deep breath to brace himself for the bone-chilling wind he knew would come the moment he opened the door. Rhett couldn't help the little smile that spread across his face as he observed Link. His eyes closed gently as he breathed in, and his adam’s apple shifted as he swallowed, probably trying to feel and appear brave enough to venture into the freezing air. Rhett noticed there was new stubble on his chin, because he hadn't shaved since the day before, and it seemed to blend perfectly into his sideburns, and then into his hair. As Rhett continued to inspect his boyfriend, he noted that Link’s dark facial hair stood out more now than it had in the past, because the unrelenting winter weather had hidden away the sun, causing Link’s seemingly ever-present tan to fade away.

“Alright. Let’s do this.” Rhett was snapped out of his reverie by Link’s voice, and, being that he was totally flabbergasted because Link had startled him, he only managed to nod in response. Link smiled at him. He knew Rhett had been staring because he did it more often than not, and really, he didn't mind. 

Rhett took a moment to gather himself before he finally spoke. “Yeah, ‘course I am, Link. It’s just cold.” Rhett waggled his eyebrows teasingly at Link for a moment before he opened the door and stepped out of the car. As he shut the door, an agonized groan came from Link. Rhett laughed because he knew that meant that the unforgiving cold air had reached Link, and he didn’t like it.

Rhett made his way around to the front of the car, and then he paused for a moment to watch Link. The smaller man climbed out of the car, and he wrapped his arms around himself to guard himself against the eager, slender tendrils of the cold that wished to find their way into his clothing as he walked around the front to meet Rhett. As soon as he was close enough, Rhett reached out and took Link’s hand in his own. Quickly, though, Rhett noticed that Link’s hands were shaking a lot, even more than they were predisposed to do, so he held on more tightly, trying to keep at least his hand warm for the trek indoors.

The two didn't hesitate to walk towards the house, because since they had left their apartment, the wind had picked up, and it was eagerly blowing through their clothes, chilling the two - especially Link - down to the bone. They were at the door in moments, thanks to Link all but pulling Rhett up to the door. The moment they were there, a thin, shaky hand was knocking quickly. Rhett smiled at Link’s hurry to get inside. As much as the man loved to snowboard, he really got cold easily. 

Luckily for both of them, the door opened quickly, and Link’s mother ushered them inside. Rhett and Link both appreciated that she’d waited until the door was firmly shut to hug them both and say her greetings. Once the hugging and the quick kisses on cheeks were exchanged, the three made their way further into the house. The two said a brief hello to Link’s stepfather before they gathered in the kitchen.

“So, how have you boys been?” Link’s mother, Sue, asked. There was a smile on her lips that continued into her eyes, proving she was truly happy to see the two. 

“We’ve been great, mom. But, you do know we’ve only been gone for like a week, right?” Link flashed a cheeky smile at his mother, and in response, she laughed. 

“I know! I just miss you, honey!” His mother answered. The conversation continued for a while like that. The two spent time catching up, laughing, talking about things that may have happened, even though it really wasn’t much.

Rhett watched, enjoying the happiness on their faces, listening to Link’s bright, happy laugh. The laugh he’d always loved because when Lin was really laughing, it was loud, musical. He’d throw his head back, his mouth would open wide, the sound was musical, beautiful. Rhett loved it with everything he had in him.

Once the catching up was over, and Sue was satisfied with what they had told her about their lives as of late, she made lunch for everyone and the four of them ate rather quickly. Rhett and Link ate quickly, and Sue and Louis watched with raised brows. Rhett didn’t seem to notice, though, as he had always eaten a lot very quickly, and the raise brows in response was something he was quite used to at this point in his life.

Once their lunch had passed and the low hum of conversation came to a halt, Link helped his mother clean up. Rhett had offered his help, but it had been declined with a polite, “no, you’re the guest. We’ll get it, honey.” So, he remained at the table, telling Louis about his own snowboarding experience until Link and his mother finished up. Thankfully, for Rhett, anyway, that didn’t take very long. It took just about as long as it took Rhett to exhaust anything he could say about his snowboarding experience. He’d never done much with it, because he’d been a basketball guy up until the end of high school, and then he’d all but stopped playing sports, in favor of engineering. 

When Link and his mother finished the dishes, Link found his way back over to the table, and he pulled Rhett away to have him help gather up his supplies. After kindly declining any help Louis offered, the two made their way to Link’s old room, and they gathered up everything. Link, of course, took a moment to grab his coat and throw it on, because he knew it would be cold when they headed out again. The two piled everything they had by the door, and they took a minute to say their goodbyes. 

“You be safe, Link. The drive might be dangerous.” Sue warned him softly as she pulled him into a tight hug. Link didn’t seem at all troubled by what she said, though. In fact, he even laughed it off. Rhett wasn’t sure why he’d laughed. Maybe, he thought, Link was a lot more confident in his snowboarding skills than even Rhett realized. Rhett didn’t say anything about it, though, because he was sure it would only worry Sue, or worse, put Link in a sour mood.

“Mom, I’ll be fine. Really. Greg and Rhett’ll be there, and you know we’ll all take care of each other.” Despite his initial laughter, his tone was comforting now, even gentle, and as he pulled himself out of his mother’s embrace, he smiled softly at her. 

Rhett smiled at the display, and he nodded, placing a hand gently on Link’s shoulder. “Trust me, I won’t let anything happen to ‘im. I’ve always got an eye out for him.” Link rolled his eyes, Rhett winked.

Sue laughed softly, and she stepped closer to her husband, away from the boys. “Alright, boys. I suppose I should let you go, shouldn’t I?”

Link nodded, and he stepped forward again to hug her one last time. “Love you, ma. I promise I’ll come home safe, okay?”

The grin that spread across both of their faces was identical, at least in Rhett’s mind. He couldn’t help but smile at the sign of affection. They all shared goodbyes once more before the two finally made their way out of the house, Link’s things held tightly in both of their arms.

Link only made a couple minor complaints about the cold as they walked towards the car, and Rhett just smiled in response. He could tell Link was excited, it was the only reason that he’d tone down some of his complaints. They’d be arriving at Hawk’s Nest in just a few hours. The only pit stop left was to meet up with Greg and trade the pick-up for the Dynasty. 

Quickly, the two piled their things into the bed of the truck, and as Rhett made sure it was all secure, Link climbed into the passenger seat. With nearly frustratingly shaky hands, he started the car with the keys he’d taken from Rhett’s pocket as he’d been packing up the things, and he made sure the heat was all the way up. The sweltering air was just beginning to snake its way through the cabin of the truck when Rhett pulled open the door to climb in. Link whined, feeling a chill down to his bones as the warmth was pulled away by the winter air that was as malevolent as any villain. Soon after the door was shut, though, as Rhett was pulling out of the drive, the warm air finally made its way back into the air, warming both men as they embarked on the next leg of their journey.

The ride to Greg’s took a while longer, but Rhett and Link managed to keep themselves entertained. Rhett listened intently as Link told stories of his previous experiences snowboarding. The two spent a lot of time together, but they did take occasional breaks, and that’s when Link would, for the most part, go snowboarding. Rhett interjected occasionally, bringing up his own experiences, like their last trip snowboarding a month earlier, in December of 1998. Link laughed as Rhett recounted in fine detail the many times he had fallen and since Link had been there, and he’d witnessed it all, it was nearly twice as funny to him.

They arrived at Greg’s house a little under forty-five minutes later, and since Greg was already out waiting for them, it hardly took any time for the three of them to transfer the supplies to the Dynasty, and then pile into it to enjoy the heat. Greg drove this time, and Link rode in the back seat because he was the smaller of the two remaining men. They spent some time catching up because they hadn’t seen each other in a couple weeks since they were generally separated for their winter breaks. Rhett gave the directions to Hawk’s Nest since he had been the one that had written them down. Greg informed the two that some others would be coming as well, including Will and Andy. They were all going to meet up at the lodge when they arrived.

The majority of the ride was spent telling stories and making jokes, and the atmosphere was generally jovial. Rhett often made the others laugh with little sarcastic interjections, or with an occasional thought out joke. Rhett glanced back at Link often, and occasionally their eyes would meet, and Link would always smile, and either mouth to Rhett “I love you,” or he’d wink. Both meant the same thing, and both of them knew that. Rhett would respond the exact same way. 

They arrived at Hawk’s nest around 5:30 that evening. The weather was nice, and as Greg went to meet up with Will and Andy, Rhett and Link stayed back a bit, and they agreed to meet up in half an hour, ready to hit the slopes.

With their things in hand, Rhett and Link made their way to the most deserted room they could find, which was a fairly small room with a few couches scattered around the room, and a few tables pressed up against the far wall. There were large panoramic windows on the opposite side, looking out towards the mountains beyond the lodge, and Link made his way over to them excitedly. Rhett followed with a wide smile on his face again at the sight of Link’s excitement. 

When he walked over to Link, Rhett carefully took Link’s bag from him, and he sat it a few feet away, by the nearest couch. When he turned back, he saw Link staring out the window, a happy grin on his face. Rhett didn’t step up next to him right away. Instead, he took a moment to look at his boyfriend. 

They’d been together for nearly three years now, but somehow it felt much longer. Ever since they were in first grade they’d spent all of their time together. Rhett could remember watching Link grow up with him. He remembered them playing games, doing pretend interviews on with their cassette recorders, even building forts and exploring the Cape Fear river. He remembered awkward moments when they were in middle school, like changing in front of each other, or when they would fall asleep leaning against each other when they played video games. 

As with any friendship, though, Rhett hadn’t exactly been really into Link at the start. He thought the kid was a little weird, mostly because when he’d looked over at Link, the boy had been coloring inside the lines. He’d done a double take at that moment. His own was messy, not even a thought of being as meticulous as Link was. When he looked back at Link, he almost laughed. What is this kid’s problem? He remembered thinking exactly that, but he’d never actually said that. 

Link was always meticulous. Whenever Link had invited him over in the past, he’d always clean up Rhett’s bedroom. Rhett never really helped, he’d just question Link’s actions. Link didn’t have a reason, really, aside from he’s wired. Rhett knew that was true at this point. Link was one of the most stressed people he’d ever known. His mind was always occupied, and his hands were nearly always shaking. 

At this point, though, it was really something Rhett had grown to love. He loved the things Link had to say, he loved his singing, he loved holding the smaller man in his arms. Rhett loved to see the familiar smiles on Link’s face, he loved the familiar look when he looked into his eyes. He loved everything about the man that was standing in front of him. 

Finally, Rhett approached Link, thoughts about just how much he loved the man reeling in his mind. Tentatively, he wrapped his arms around Link’s waist from behind, clasping his slender fingers across Link’s stomach. Link leaned back into Rhett’s chest, and he laid his head back against Rhett’s shoulder. 

“I love you,” Rhett murmured. He closed his eyes, running his thumb up and down Link’s stomach as far as he could reach, making their embrace even more intimate.

Link let out a soft chuckle. “I love you too, Rhett,” he hummed, and he placed his hands on top of Rhett’s forearms.

Rhett hummed softly, and he leaned down to kiss Link’s cheek softly. Link turned his head a moment later, catching Rhett’s mouth in a kiss that was as gentle as any they’d ever shared. Rhett wished that the two could remain in that moment for the rest of eternity, or, at least, one similar to it. 

When he pulled away finally, however reluctantly, he grinned at Link. The smaller man grinned back. “I can’t wait until we hit the slopes.” Link spoke softly, and he lightly patted Rhett’s forearm. 

Rhett, prompted by Link tapping on his arm, slowly let go of him, and he took a little step back. Smiling, Link led Rhett back over to all of their supplies, and the two of them helped each other get suited up. At this point, Link was nearly bouncing with excitement, and it only seemed to grow each time he put another layer on. When the two were finally dressed, with their snowboards in hand, they walked until they found Greg and the others.

Link joined two others excitedly to chat about the weather, and Rhett watched, laughing occasionally when Link’s voice would crack, or when someone else told a joke.

“I’m so excited!” Link said at one point as he pointed to the nearest window. “”The snow is perfect!”

Greg raised a brow, although he was smiling at Link. “It’s just snow, Link.”

Link rolled his eyes in response, and he playfully shoved Greg, who promptly retaliated, knocking Link back into Rhett. As Rhett caught Link and helped him steady himself, the smaller man stuck his tongue out at Greg. Greg laughed in response, and Rhett shook his head. 

“Seriously, Greg,” Link attempted to look serious, although that proved to be a challenge because his excitement was boiling over. “I’m gonna go balls-to-the-wall, man! It’ll be awesome!”

That statement earned a laugh out of everyone. “Alright,” Greg raised his hands in surrender, “have fun with that, man. I’ll enjoy watching you wipe out.”

Link rolled his eyes, but just as he began to retort, Will interrupted. “We should head out, guys. ‘Else we won’t have much time on the slopes.”

There was a chorus of replies in agreement with that statement, and everyone began to gather up their things. Rhett held his own board on his shoulder as the group walked outside, led by a bouncing Link. As excited as he was to snowboard, Rhett felt a strange sense of apprehension. Looking up at the mountain covered with powder-fresh snow made something stir in the pit of his stomach. A sort of forewarning. He brushed it off, though, telling himself it was only nerves. It was just snowboarding.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for any mistakes in this chapter. I've absolutely never been skiing or snowboarding, and so I have no idea how it's done. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about anything. I considered adding more detail to this chapter, but I didn't for that reason.  
> I hope you all enjoy this one!

When they stepped outside, the wind was blowing again. Despite the protective clothing, Rhett seemed to be instantly chilled to the bone. When they’d been back at his and Link’s childhood homes, he had thought it had been cold. On the mountain, though, the wrath of the wind seemed to have returned tenfold. Rhett wrapped his arms tightly around himself. Much to his surprise, though, when he looked over at Link, he didn’t even look like he was chilly. Instead, he was grinning from ear to ear, his arms waving as he talked excitedly. 

Rhett didn’t end up walking with Link, because the overly-excited man was leading the group, carrying on his little argument with Greg. Rhett stuck behind and he walked next to Will. Rather than listening to Greg and Link bicker more, Rhett and Will had their own conversation.

“I don't feel great about today,” Rhett said, glancing up again at the high slope, which seemed to be towering over him, like a looming monster. 

Will raised a brow at Rhett, frowning slightly. “What do you mean, man? It’s a beautiful day, man.”

Rhett shrugged, sticking his hands into his pockets. “I know that. Just doesn’t feel right, you know?”

Will pursed his lips, and he took a moment to look around at their surroundings. The sun was still shining, making the snow almost glow bright white. The wind was blowing, but with the walking they were doing, it was almost refreshing, despite the harsh cold of it. The sky was virtually clear of any clouds, so there couldn’t possibly be a storm coming. Rhett saw the look on Will’s face when he looked back at him before he even started to speak. He thought Rhett was just trying to get out of it.

When Will did begin to speak, it only confirmed Rhett’s thoughts. “Honestly, man, it’s a great day to snowboard. You afraid or somethin’?”

“No,” Rhett responded quickly, “it’s just sort of… I dunno, man. I probably just ate too much for lunch or something.” Will nodded. Rhett didn’t want to brush off the feeling, of course. He really did feel like something would happen. Although, when Link turned around and looked at him, Rhett seemed to forget all about it.

The sunlight reflected off of the snow, lighting Link’s face up with a brilliant light. His skin looked paler, and his hair looked as dark as ever. The stark contrast was almost breathtaking. As Rhett’s gaze found its way up Link’s face, Rhett smiled a little at Link’s facial hair, and then at his eyes. The almost white light made his eyes look a brilliant blue. His pupils were dark, and there was a ring of darker blue around his irises, not unusual, but the bright, contrasting blue in the center made his eyes stand out more than Rhett had ever remembered. It was dazzling, almost distractingly so. Rhett even almost missed Link speaking.

“Come on! We have to get on together Rhett!” The smaller man was shouting excitedly, almost jumping as he waved Rhett towards him.

Rhett laughed softly, and he glanced back at Will. Will, of course, nodded for him to walk away. Swiftly, then, Rhett jogged over to meet Link. “Alright, alright. Let’s go.”

Link grinned even more widely, and he grabbed Rhett’s hand and yanked him to the ski lift. Hurriedly, the two put on their snowboards and hopped onto the ski lift. 

Suspended in the air, Rhett could feel the wind whipping past him, although he could hardly feel it anywhere besides his face. At this moment, the ice cold chill on his face nearly made him flinch because the sting of the cold was relentless. Rhett heard Link start to speak, but he took half a moment to look around before he looked to him. 

The sky was blue, Rhett could even dare to say it was as blue as Link’s eyes. He could see more of the wide expanse now because he was up above the trees and the building that had previously obstructed his view. There was hardly a cloud in sight, still, even on the distant horizon. The weather truly was perfect for a skiing trip. The little group couldn’t possibly ask for anything better. Still, Rhett felt a staying uneasiness in the pit of his stomach.

“The weather is perfect! Look at it, Rhett. The sky is beautiful,” Link spoke quickly. Rhett looked over at him, smiling in the affectionate way that he tended to do when looking at Link. “This is the perfect day to go snowboarding!”

Rhett nodded, unable to help that his smile widened when he replied to Link. “Yeah. It is a really nice day.” Rhett started to say more, although he was interrupted by Link. He didn’t terribly mind this, of course, because he loved to listen to Link talking about things he likes.

“This’ll be great, Rhett.” As Link spoke, Rhett reached over and took Link’s hand. Link squeezed his hand lightly. “You know I love snowboarding! It’s the perfect day for that! I mean, it’s cold, but the sun is shining and there’s hardly any clouds!”

Rhett nodded, glancing around once more. Although he was still trying to ignore it, the nagging feeling wouldn’t go away. It was like he could feel imminent danger. “Yeah, Link. It’ll be great.” 

Link raised a brow at Rhett, giving him a look that made it clear he knew something was on Rhett’s mind. “You alright, baby?” His voice was quieter, more gentle with the question. The gentle nature of it made Rhett smile softly. 

“Yeah, Link. I’m great.” Rhett paused for half a moment, lightly squeezing his boyfriend’s hand as he thought of a quick excuse. With the way Will had reacted to his troubles, Rhett was sure that Link would laugh even harder at him. “I’m just wondering how you’re going to go ‘balls to the wall.” Link immediately rolled his eyes and yanked his hand away from Rhett’s so that he could playfully punch his arm. 

“Don’t tease me, Rhett! I think you know what I mean!” Link shook his head, and when Rhett held up his hand again, Link took it, holding onto it tightly.

“‘Course I do, Link. You mean you’re planning on crashing-”

“Rhett,” Link quickly interrupted him, “I’m not you!”

Rhett laughed, “I know that, Link!” Link raised an eyebrow, proving that he was doubting what Rhett had said. “I mean it! You’re a great snowboarder, babe. I know that.”

“Good.” Link grinned at Rhett, and he leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

Link spent the short time remaining gushing about how great the weather was, and about how much he loved to snowboard. Rhett listened to him gladly. When they arrived at the top, the two hopped off of the ski lift, and they gathered themselves and put their goggles on as they waited for the others. When the others arrived, it took maybe five minutes for everyone to gather everything up and get ready to head to the jumps.

Link lead the way again, as he was still practically jumping with excitement. Whenever he would glance back and find everyone far behind him, carefully making their way along, being extra careful not to fall, he would let out a loud groan and wait impatiently for everyone. When they would catch up, he would start off again at the same pace.

It didn’t take long at all to finally get to the jumps, and as soon as they were there, Link was off, all but oozing confidence. Rhett was sure he didn’t hear him shout, “Be careful, Link!”

Rhett and Will watched for a moment as Greg took off after Link. Link was hitting all of the jumps and landing them like a pro. Watching it was almost amazing. The two had to stop observing, though, after a moment, because they wanted to snowboard as well. 

The four made a few good runs. Up the ski lift, down the hill, hitting the few jumps as they went. Rhett, of course, tried to keep his distance from the larger jump. Just looking at it gave the man a sense of foreboding, which, to him, felt like a deep pit in his stomach that was stirring. Nervousness often poured over, filling him with uneasy anticipation. Even though he went over a few, the jumps made Rhett feel a strong sense of clear and present danger. Rhett always had been one to go with his instinct, or say what’s on his mind. This would be a perfect example of that. However, he avoided saying anything. Instead, he watched Link hitting all of the jumps, truly going ‘balls to the wall’ as Greg and Will followed after him. 

It was on their fifth run that Rhett really started to feel uneasy. The wind had died down, now, and the air was eerily quiet. Link hadn’t noticed as they had ridden the ski lift up, as he had spent most of the ride talking excitedly about his many successful jumps. Rhett had listened as well as he could manage, and he’d smiled and nodded as he told Link that he had looked amazing while doing it all. Link had blushed at every comment of the sort, and although Rhett had tried, he’d had some trouble focusing on it. The air was still and everything was silent the moment Link would take a break from his excited chattering. You’re just imagining things, Rhett had told himself, at least, 10 times. It’s just the snow, it makes things quiet. Don’t be so nervous, it’s just snowboarding, what could go wrong?

Link quickly departed the ski lift at the top of the hill, and he was quickly followed by Rhett. Since Will and Greg were in front of the two, it took them a moment to catch up. When they did, Greg headed off. Link motioned for the others to follow. “I wanna go last. I’m really gonna go for this one, guys.” 

Rhett had smiled at him because the look of excitement on the man’s face as absolutely unmistakable. He looked like a little kid, his eyes were sparkling and his smile was so wide it was almost unbelievable. It was beautiful to look at, and despite Rhett’s smile, he felt the uneasy feeling in his stomach mushroom. Something about everything was off. Link was too excited; too confident, the air was still, hardly any wind at all. When the wind did blow, the sound of it snaking its way through the forest was something that sent chills up Rhett’s spine. He glanced around for a moment - just a moment - to see if he would see something. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, though. Maybe a sign, or something to say ‘you shouldn’t do another run, just walk back down.’ He didn’t see anything convincing enough, though. Just the same landscape that had quickly gone from something beautiful to something ominous, almost dangerous.

After he took a moment to take a deep breath, Rhett finally went. He hit the tabletop jump and he landed it as expertly as he could manage, although that’s when he stopped. It was the same place that Will had chosen to slow down. The jump looming in front of them was dark, steep, and towering in the twilight.

As Rhett came to a stop, he turned around to see if Link had followed. As he saw Link set off, though, a sense of dread covered him like a wet blanket. Still, though, he didn't say anything.

Like a pro, Link came speeding down the hill. He carved back and forth on his board, keeping his balance expertly, not by waving his arms like Rhett had found himself doing. He bounced off the first tabletop jump with all the style you could imagine, and he landed it with all the finesse of an ice dancer.

Rhett didn’t take note of Link’s style, though. All that he immediately noticed was that Link wasn’t stopping. Link wasn’t slowing down, either. Wow, he thought to himself, Link seriously is going for it.

Rhett watched as Link continued to carve on his board. Back and forth, again and again, he looked like a real professional. Although, as he approached the jump, he was clearly going too fast.

“Link!” Will called out, almost a loud shout, trying to get the man’s attention. “You’re gonna bust!” Rhett felt an immediate panic grip his entire body.

Everything after that happened in slow motion. 

Rhett and Will could do nothing at all but watch as Link hit the face of the huge jump. He was going so quickly that at this point, nothing could have a prayer of slowing him down unless it was him hitting the ground. Bystanders, they watched as Link was hurled into the air, straight off the end of the jump. It was obvious immediately that he had no control. His body twisted awkwardly, and after a moment, he was head over heels. He might have let out a shout, but Rhett couldn’t be sure. Moments after it all began, Link disappeared over the horizon. 

Everything was silent. There wasn’t a hint of a sound, not even the deathly cold wind blowing through the trees. No one was moving. There wasn’t even a sound from a distant snowboarder shouting to a friend. Nothing. The silence was nearly as terrifying as it was watching Link lose total control. 

Will looked at Rhett, Rhett looked him in the eyes. It didn’t take words for them to agree to follow Link. Much more slowly than Link himself had gone over the jump, Will followed. Rhett had to take a long moment to gather himself before he followed Will over the jump. 

As soon as he hit the slope again, he saw Link. Just about 40 feet away, he was sprawled on the ground. Will was already there, on his knees at Link’s side. Rhett let himself look only for a moment before he hurried down to meet them. 

“Are you hurt?” Will asked Link.

“My hip is hurt.” Link’s reply was quiet, almost dazed.

Will nodded, and he stood himself up again and he quickly suggested, “Take your board off and walk it off.”

Link shook his head slightly, and he started to sit up. Rhett moved to help him, but Will waved him away with instructions to close off the jump. Rhett had complied without a complaint, even though he had really wanted to stay, and he made his way over to a caution sign he’d spotted earlier and he set it up carefully. 

When he returned, Will and Link had moved away from the base of the jump, and Link appeared to be more coherent. Or at least, Rhett thought so, but the mind does see what the mind believes, and with the state of panic he was stuck in, his mind could have been seeing anything.

“Link, how’s your hip doing?” Will asked the question, more gently this time, because it was obvious that Link was still out of it on some level. “Is it feeling any better at all?”

The pair waited a moment, but when Link didn’t respond, Rhett asked his own question. “Link? Link, is anything else hurt?”

The two watched, on the edges of their seats as Link looked between both of them. It could have been wishful thinking, but Rhett thought that Link looked like he was about to give them a real answer, instead of not saying anything again.

Still, he said nothing. Instead, he gave them a look that clearly spelled out his confusion.

“Link?” Rhett asked, and he knelt down in front of his boyfriend. The fear Rhett was feeling was rooted deep down. Link looked like he was alright on the surface, but as their eyes met, there was something missing. The spark in Link’s eyes. The gleam that came when he was joking, the hint of mischief when he was telling a lie.; none of it was there. All that Rhett saw was an expanse of blue that was weirdly blank. Devoid of anything like excitement or happiness. 

Suddenly, though, in one sentence from the dazed man, everything was infinitely more complicated; “Who are you?”


	4. Chapter 4

“Who are you?”

When you’re in a bad situation, something really bad, possibly traumatic, your mind begins to rationalize. There’s no way this could really actually be real. It’s just a joke, right? Link is playing some stupid prank, and for some reason, he’s really good at it. There’s no possible way he couldn’t know who they are. Rhett’s known him since they were six years old. 

Okay, so he’d decided - at least in his mind - Link was just playing a horrible joke. That meant that he just had to tell Link to give it up and he would, right? If he knew that Rhett was worried, then he’d give up. 

“Hold on, I think I’m going to faint.”

Link speaking snapped Rhett out of his thoughts. He focused his gaze once again so that he was looking at Link, and he watched him lower his head between his legs. The sight made Rhett feel relieved. If Link wasn’t feeling well, there was no way he would keep up his joke, right? The enthusiasm Rhett felt made him sick. He shouldn’t be hoping that his boyfriend could be hurt enough to keep him from playing a simple prank. Somehow, though, he knew that Link would forgive him if he ever told him about it.

“Link, are you alright?” Will asked the question, prompting Rhett’s gaze to shift to him briefly, before he looked back at his boyfriend.

Link lifted his head, still looking dazed. “Hold on, I’m just coming to.” Rhett and Will gave each other the briefest confused look. 

Link had clearly been awake since Will had arrived at his side. Rhett and Will were confused. If it was a joke, it was certainly a weird one, and not thought out well at all. Although, Rhett still allowed himself to believe that it was simply a joke. Link was just playing some stupid prank. Nothing he was saying was making sense, anyway.

“Evidently I’ve hurt my left hip.”

As Link continued to speak, Rhett tried to slow his troubled thoughts. The hundreds of thoughts running a race around his head wouldn’t help him sort anything out. He didn’t know if Link was joking or not, really, an he wouldn’t be able to decide if his mind didn’t slow down. As Will responded to Link, Rhett really did try to rationalize what was happening. Link was hurt, that much was obvious. His left hip was hurt, and he was probably dizzy. Rhett figured the latter because Link had said he might faint.

“Hold on, I’m just coming to. Evidently I’ve hurt my left hip.”

When Link repeated the same sentence again, Rhett was struck by it. He looked up at Will again. Will was already looking at him. The look on Will’s face was quizzical though the question that was on Will’s mind wasn’t a mystery. Rhett could almost hear his voice asking, ‘is he playing some kind of prank on us?’ Rhett didn’t know, though, even though that’s really what he was hoping for. He shrugged in response. 

Looking back at Link, Rhett raised an eyebrow. “Link, hon, you just said that..”

Link didn’t respond to him. In fact, he didn’t even look up at Rhett. He continued staring forward, looking as confused as Rhett had ever seen. 

“Link, how is your-”

Link interrupted him, “hold on, I’m just coming to. Evidently I’ve hurt my left hip.”

Rhett pursed his lips. He heard Will laughing, although he wasn’t sure why. It had to be a joke. It wasn’t, obviously, a good one, but it really had to be one. There wasn’t any other reason Link would just be repeating himself like that. Rhett’s suspicion was only confirmed when Will spoke up.

“Link, seriously, stop messing with us, man. It’s not funny anymore.”

That explains why you’re laughing, Rhett thought. He had to force his mouth shut to avoid saying the words out loud.

Link looked up at Will, his mouth half open. His face had a very convincing confused and dazed look on it. It wasn’t something Rhett thought that Link could do if he was acting. Rhett wasn’t convinced that Link could be such a good actor, even though he knew he had his moments.

“What?” Link’s question was simple enough, although it made Rhett’s stomach stir. Obviously, Link wasn't planning on giving up his lame joke any time soon. Rhett heard Will let out a long sigh.

“Link, seriously. Give it up now. Are you actually hurt?” Will’s tone of voice made it rather obvious he was feeling short with Link. Rhett also noticed the look on his face. His brows were more or less stitched together in annoyance. The corners of his mouth were turned down in a frown, although his eyes were a different story. He was trying to look annoyed and fed up with Link but his eyes betrayed him. They looked heavier, more tired than they had when they had hit the slopes. Rhett figured he probably had a similar look in his eyes, but he knew the worry was clear on his face.

“Hold on,” Link spoke softly, still looking dazed, “I’m just coming to. Evidently I’ve hurt my left hip.”

Rhett let out a breath, Will rolled his eyes. Link wasn’t relenting. 

Rhett wondered briefly if Link knew that they really wanted him to stop. He wondered if he actually knew that the other men were genuinely worried and that that’s why they were asking him to knock it off. He let his mind wander for a moment. He didn’t want to come right out and tell Link how worried they were because his current behavior was proving that he wouldn’t respond to that. So, he thought back to everything Link had said since he’d walked over. He remembered the question that had thrown him the most upon hearing it. ‘Who are you?’ It could be part of a joke, as far as Rhett knew. He knew that’s something Link would have said if he was playing a stupid prank on them. It was the most obvious line Rhett could think of. He’d said it himself hundreds of times as a kid, playing pranks on his brother or Link. Still, though, the expression on Link’s face had been so serious, so dazed.

Maybe, Rhett thought, if I go back to that again, we’ll get him to say something different.

“Link? Do you know who we are?” Rhett saw Will open his mouth out of the corner of his eye. Swiftly, Rhett held up his own hand to stop him from commenting. He knew what he would say. ‘Of course, he knows who are, it’s just a joke.’ Rhett thought the same thing, even though his thoughts were so conflicted that he was jumping back and forth between theories. So much so that he was caught somewhere in between worried and amused by his boyfriend’s condition.

The two waited in silence for Link’s answer. Meanwhile, Link was looking at them with the same confused look on his face. He looked between both of them as if he was someone just discovering something for the first time. As if the world around him was something new, and he truly didn’t know what he was seeing. “No,” he finally answered softly with a shake of his head.

Rhett felt his stomach churn at the answer. Of course, he wanted to think Link was joking, but he still looked so serious.

Minutes went by, and Will and Rhett continued to question Link. They asked the man what his name was, he said he didn’t know. They asked him about his parents, his friends, even about themselves, and still the only answer they received was Link denying he knew anyone they asked him about. Occasionally, still, Link would say, ‘hold on, I’m just coming to. Evidently I’ve hurt my left hip,’ and then he would proceed to act as if he had forgotten the entire conversation. The ordeal was overall as entertaining as it was frustrating (Rhett even found himself laughing along with Will occasionally, maybe just to relieve the tension), and although he didn’t care to admit it, Rhett was glad when the ski patrol arrived to take Link away.

Rhett watched as one of the paramedics asked Link a few questions and checked his vitals, only to get the same answers Rhett and Will had gotten. Something about it troubled Rhett. Link was still acting like he didn’t know anything at all. Link was a prankster, much like Rhett, but it didn’t usually go to this extent. Link would prank people he knew, someone he was friends with, or someone who had pranked him first. Rhett had never before seen Link carry on his prank to trouble or inconvenience a stranger, especially someone like a paramedic. Rhett tried to convince himself that it didn’t mean anything. It was still just a joke. Although, even that was becoming less and less likely as he continued to consider.

When they finally took Link away, strapped to a stretcher with an oxygen mask over his face, shouting about how a dream of his had been fulfilled, Rhett and Will followed more slowly. Admittedly, they both needed a break from the injured man and some time to think about and discuss what they’d just witnessed. Rhett was visibly shaken by the experience, and he was made aware of it by Will speaking as they walked. “Are you alright, man?”

Rhett nodded, although before he responded he took a moment to take a deep breath. “Guess so. It just- Link is hurt, and I’m kinda worried about ‘im.”

Will nodded a little, and he shrugged as he reached up to fix his hat, which had been knocked askew at some point. “I know, but I think that was a little bit of acting, don’t you?”

“I don’t know man. He seemed serious about it.”

Will sighed. They were quiet for the rest of the walk to the lodge. 

The air wasn’t as still as they walked, or at least it seemed that way to Rhett. The blue sky that had been so inviting was disappearing, replaced by the red and purple hues of a sunset. Everything around them was darker, and although the sunset was beautiful, Rhett wouldn’t allow himself to enjoy it without Link there. He felt the wind blowing again, chilling his nose and his cheeks. The whistling of it through the trees created an eerie whistling sound, like an ominous chorus, created just to make feel more on edge about what had happened. He wasn’t sure if he preferred the noise or the silence.

When they arrived, Link was lying down talking to a few ski patrol guys, much like Rhett had expected him to be. When Link saw them enter the room, he looked at them for a moment with a dumb expression on his face before he spoke.

“Hold on, I’m just coming to. Evidently I’ve hurt my left hip.” Will managed to laugh this time, and Rhett smiled. Somehow Rhett could see past the nervousness the entire situation made him feel, and he could see the humor in it. Not much, admittedly. Definitely not as much as Will was managing at the moment. They stayed for some time near Link, talking to him, even though they knew he would forget the conversation and even their names seconds later. Someone at the lodge even asked Link what year it was, and Link just answered with a confused look. He didn’t remember that, and telling him would be a waste of breath because he was sure to forget it moments later. 

Will left after a while because he needed to gather their things because it was obvious they wouldn’t be doing any more skiing that night. Rhett was left alone with the same girl that had asked Link what year it was. Since the man had nothing else to do, he struck up a conversation with the girl, and they ended up talking about Link’s condition. Much like Rhett expected, she’d never seen anything like it. Neither had Rhett, though. Occasionally, Link would look at the two and ask something along the lines of ‘do you want me to talk? Should I shut up?’

Link’s behavior made it really obvious what his condition was. He was waking up, again and again, to two people talking. He’d speak so they knew he was awake, and so that they would tell him if they wanted him to speak. Although, Link had been awake the entire time. The girl found it much more amusing than Rhett did. Rhett managed a few laughs, but it did nothing to trump the nervous feeling in his stomach that felt much like that morning had.

Half an hour or so later the ski patrol informed Rhett that they’d have to call an ambulance to take Link to the hospital. “He isn’t at the normal level of consciousness” is what they’d told Rhett. He figured that was pretty obvious, but he didn’t comment on it. He wanted to hear everything that they had to say about Link’s condition, even though it really wasn’t all that much.

When Will heard, he brought up that they needed the directions to Marks house, as they had been planning on spending the night at his place that night. Link, however, was the one with the directions, and Will and Rhett knew that he wouldn’t remember having them. They tried, anyway, although Link was very confused by the question. They attempted to slow it down, but Link couldn’t comprehend. It appeared he didn’t remember Mark, let alone how to get to his house. That was frustrating, on some level, for both Rhett and Will, although it worried Rhett more than Will.

He did try to keep his mind off of the possibility of it, but he was thinking that maybe Link’s memory wouldn’t be a simple fix. Maybe he really didn’t remember anyone. Not even him or Mark. The thought was terrifying, and Rhett really tried to keep his mind off of it. Again, he didn’t want Will to see how troubled he was, especially since Will was still finding the situation as hilarious as it was frustrating. 

When Link was taken to the hospital, the others followed in the Dynasty. Link was taken to the closest hospital, Watauga Medical Center in Boone. When they arrived, they were told to go to the ER, and there they were told that they would have to wait to see Link.

The wait was agonizing for Rhett. He tried to hold a conversation with Will, but his mind continued to wander to any bad thought that came to him. Link was quite obviously hurt. He’d hurt his hip, obviously, because he’d told Rhett and Will that no less than 90 times. He’d also, pretty obviously, hit his head when he’d hit the ground. His memory appeared to be shot. Rhett knew that could be standard with a concussion. You could temporarily lose your memory, and as far as he knew, you could get it back. He hoped so, anyway. He and Link had been through so much. They had seen so much, done so much. Rhett couldn’t imagine if Link couldn’t remember that. He tried not to think about the possibility, though.

He sat for a long time repeating the same thoughts to himself. Link is fine. His memory will be back in a few days, and then it’ll all be alright. He’ll remember, and everything will go back to the way it was. Eventually, he convinced himself that Link would be back to normal in a few days like nothing had happened, and they could look back on it all and laugh. 

After a long time with no news from any of the nurses or doctors, Rhett decided he would get up and get a drink. The vending machine wasn’t far away, so he figured if something did happen, he wouldn’t miss much, or hopefully, anything at all. He got himself a bottle of water as quickly as he could manage, and he drank it as he returned to the rest of his friends. 

When he returned, Will wasn’t there. Rhett immediately knew that meant that he’d gone to see Link. Rhett was disappointed, of course. He’d missed the opportunity to see his boyfriend first. Although, he figured it didn’t matter much if Link wouldn’t even remember seeing either of them. He waited as impatiently as ever, and when Will finally returned after what felt like years, Rhett nearly ran to go see him. 

Rhett took a moment to look around the room as he entered. It was dull, all an ugly, somehow faded color of white. The bed sheets looked stiff, and certainly uncomfortable to lay in. The lights were a harsh fluorescent, and they made the man in the bed look paler than he should. The smaller man had an IV in his arm, and he had a few other wires going under his gown. The IV in his hand, though, seemed to be the only thing that he paid any attention to. Rhett, not expecting much conversation, did welcome it as a conversation piece. Since Link didn’t seem to like it at all, Rhett would ask him if there was an IV in his arm. Link would say ‘I hope not,’ then he would discover the IV, and his reaction was the same every time. Shock, and then disappointment. A couple times, he asked, “why aren’t you hurt?” Rhett figured it was a fair enough question. If Link couldn’t remember anything, of course he couldn’t remember how he’d gotten hurt. Rhett told him most of the truth every time he asked. A few times, though, he twisted it, saying Link had been in a car crash or something. He was just wondering if Link would pick up on any discrepancy. He never did.

Rhett stayed by his boyfriend’s side, all but holding the man’d hand until they had to wheel him off for a cat scan. Greg, then, took Rhett to get Mark. Rhett didn’t want to. He wanted to stay there and wait for any update on Link’s condition. Greg nearly had to drag him out of the hospital. Rhett felt incredibly antsy for the entire ride. His mind kept going back to Link, thinking the same thoughts over and over. What if he doesn’t ever remember? What if his memory doesn’t ever improve from what it is now? By the time they returned to the hospital with Mark, Rhett had nearly worried himself sick, even though he’d spent a good portion of the ride trying to joke around with Greg and Mark.

When they returned, the three men went again to join Will in the small waiting room. A doctor showed a minute or two later, and he informed the four men that Link had broken his pelvis. The news itself didn’t trouble Rhett, so much as the fact that they couldn’t tell him anything about Link’s memory. Rhett was infinitely glad to be around his friends. He knew for a fact that without them there, he would have been consumed by his anxiety by now.

A while later, all four men decided to go back and see Link. Rhett observed that he was probably the most anxious to see Link again. He knew because he was holding his shirt with both hands, wringing it nervously as they walked into the room. This time, there was something different. Link had a sign that read, “Charles Neal, January 8, 1999. Charles Neal, you fell snowboarding. You are at Watauga Medical Center. You have a concussion and a broken pelvis.”

Link didn’t take it too seriously, which was surprising to Rhett, considering Link was barely responding to his own name. When the men had walked in, Link had held up his sign and said, “Look! I’ve got a broken penis!”

The men, of course, had all laughed, although Rhett wished everyone was taking it more seriously. Instead, all the others were doing as much to mess with Link as they would.

Deep down Rhett appreciated this. The others were keeping the spirits generally light, and as a result, Rhett wasn’t in what he was sure would be a true panic at the moment. Their jokes were distracting him enough that he couldn’t think about a future without reminiscing of childhood memories with Link. He couldn’t think about not having Link at his side. He didn’t even get a chance to think about that fact that his boyfriend didn’t know his name, or even that they were dating. As annoyed as he was by that, Rhett was beyond grateful (Although he wouldn’t admit that until much later, even to himself.)

They joked around with Link for a while, asking him about the sign, and joking every time they saw that ‘I’ve just come into reality’ look on his face. Some time later, though, a nurse informed them all that they were going to keep Link overnight. Three of the men were immediately grateful. Rhett was too, on some level, although not as obviously. The skipping record-esque conversation was tiring, but Rhett wanted to be with Link if there was ay sort of improvement at all. Him and Link both needed rest, though, and so he reluctantly agreed to leave. 

It wasn’t until they actually left and they were in the car on the way to Mark’s that the thought hit Rhett. It wasn’t until then that he finally let himself look at the situation realistically and consider what had happened. No rationalizing. No telling himself that it’s just a joke. He really, truly considered everything, and it was in that moment that he was hit by a wave of panic so strong he felt disoriented; his boyfriend didn’t remember him at all, and he didn’t know if that could be fixed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took so much time, but I got this chapter to be exactly 3,663 words so that the number in the whole work would even out. 
> 
> Random thoughts with the author.


	5. Chapter 5

Rhett McLaughlin wouldn’t consider himself the type to panic. He’d get scared often, of course. Everyone gets scared. That’s simply a fact of life. Fear is a primal instinct that not even the bravest man in the world can avoid. Rhett feels fear. For example, when he has to walk across his room in the pitch black of the middle of the night, whenever he and Link found themselves in a bad situation in the Cape Fear river. Most specifically, when they had almost drowned on a warm day during February. He felt fear  if someone was driving in front of him and they slowed down quickly. To Rhett, that was fear. His heart beating a little fast and, occasionally, his head spinning, hands shaking, his breaths speeding up. What he was feeling now, though, this wasn’t that. He was panicking now, even though he’d convinced himself that Rhett McLaughlin doesn’t panic; Link Neal freaks out. Rhett McLaughlin comforts him when he does.

What Rhett was feeling now couldn’t possibly be classified as anything else. His thoughts were racing at a million miles an hour, and all he could picture was a life not without Link, but a life with a Link that doesn’t remember him or their past. It wasn’t a rational fear, in his mind, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. His mind and body had taken over anything rational he had left. He felt his hands shaking, so much so that he could hardly even hold on to the door handle. He tried, but his hands were shaking so badly that his grip slipped and his hand fell, causing him to lose his last grasp on reality. As everything suddenly seemed to be slipping away from him, he tried to tell himself to breathe.  _ If you breathe you’ll calm down,  _ he told himself, though it was for naught. His chest was so tight. Impossibly tight. He tried to gasp for breaths, but it felt like he couldn’t get enough air. His head was spinning, enough that he could hardly keep his eyes open. He felt himself gasping for breath, trying to get enough air to breathe. His thoughts, however, distracted him, making the whole ordeal harder to deal with.

_ He won’t remember you. He’s forgotten you. He’s forgotten that you were ever dating. He doesn’t know, and he never will.   _ Rhett tried to push away the thoughts. He needed to breathe, and he couldn’t do that if his own mind was assaulting him. He thought he heard his name, but the sound was fuzzy like it was coming from a mile away. He felt something touch his arm, but he couldn’t open his eyes to see what it was; the world was still spinning too much for that.  _ Look at you! You’re freaking out over something you hardly know anything about!  _ He felt like his chest was closing up more as every agonizing moment passed.  _ It’s probably best if he doesn’t remember you! You’ll just freak out!  _ Rhett felt tears coming to his eyes. He just wanted to be able to breathe. He wanted to stop thinking so much. He felt something else on his arm, and he heard another voice somewhere, very distant. 

“Rhett,” the voice was barely discernable from his troubled thoughts. It said something else, but he couldn’t figure it out. He heard other noises. Shuffling, something was slamming around somewhere else. 

He tried to breathe, but it still wasn’t working. His chest just seemed to be getting tighter. He still couldn’t open his eyes and look around. Everything was spinning too much for him to manage that.  _ Damn it, Rhett! Look at yourself! Everyone is watching you freaking out like a child over this! Not even a child, you’re worse than that! Pull yourself together, McLaughlin!  _ Despite the thoughts that he was screaming at himself, Rhett couldn’t manage it. He couldn’t pull himself together. He couldn’t even manage to breathe. 

He felt something touching him. Someone reaching across him, and then someone putting a hand on his shoulder. He heard a voice, but it sounded like it was someone speaking to him through a wall. He couldn’t make out any words.  _ Breathe!  _ He shouted at himself in his mind, thinking that it might help, but it did nothing to aid his condition. 

He heard more distant voices shouting something, and then he felt someone pulling at his arm. He had no choice but to go along, but the prospect of going anywhere upset him more.  _ They’ll take you out and put you on display!  _ Rhett imagined people laughing at him. It didn’t help calm him down. He tried thinking of Link, hoping it would calm him down. Instead, all he thought was Link wasn’t there to comfort him, and he might not be again. 

Someone yanked at his arm. Rhett finally opened his eyes, only to be hit by a wave of dizziness. He let the person pull him out of the car, him going along, a hyperventilating, stumbling mess of a man. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping the dizziness would pass. The voices he was hearing were becoming less and less clear, though, and the world around him was becoming hazier. 

Things he saw in the distance were just blurs of color melting together as if he was in a watercolor painting and someone had just spilled their drink on it, making the colors lift from the page and relentlessly twist and swirl together. He stumbled suddenly, starting to fall, and he reached out, looking for anything to grab onto. He didn’t reach anything, and just as he thought he was going to hit the ground and make an even bigger fool of himself, someone caught him. Someone smaller than him. Someone with very strong arms. His thoughts went right to Link. Was he holding him? He tried to move to steady himself, to push himself away, he had to see if it was Link. It was then that it all hit him again. He was exhausted down to the bone. He still couldn’t breathe because his chest was even tighter, and he couldn’t even stand up on his own, and, on top of it all, his boyfriend didn’t remember him. At that, Rhett gave up. He went limp in whoever’s arms he was in, and he let the dizziness and the darkness that quickly covered his vision take over. 

***

When Rhett came to the first thing that he noticed was that the air around him was cold, and a  gentle breeze twisting the fabric of his shirt and cooling his overheated skin. The ground against his back was cold and wet, although it wasn’t comfortable. There were what he could only assume to be rocks jabbing him in his ribs and his lower back. The next thing he noticed was that he heard hushed voices, rather close to him, talking softly. Rhett held back a sigh, and he silently braced himself for what he knew his friends would say. 

The first thing he saw when he finally opened his was a dark blue, starry sky. The sun had dipped below the horizon long ago by now, leaving everything around him dark. The stars were twinkling as brightly as ever, which somehow made  Rhett annoyed.  _ How can the stars be there, just like they always have been doing absolutely nothing, while everything is falling apart down here..?  _ This, however, was simply a fleeting annoyance, and it faded quickly when he realized that he actually was lying on the ground in what was probably the middle of nowhere. Slowly, Rhett turned his head so he was facing the hushed voices. He saw his friends all sitting either in the car or on the ground next to it. Slowly, he sat up, observing the scene. He had been in the front seat when his little ‘episode’ had occurred. He’d probably been pulled out by one of his friends, and he had fainted just a couple feet away from the door. He quickly noted that the car was pulled over on the side of the road, shut off, probably to preserve the battery. As he looked around, observing the scenery around him, he realized that he didn’t know at all where they were. It was far too dark to see much, though, and all he could really decipher was the trees that seemed to be lining the opposite side of the road.

When his friends saw him sit up, they all went silent and turned their attention to him. Rhett felt immediately self-conscious, and he thought he felt the tightness in his chest creeping back up on him he had just majorly inconvenienced all of them, and he wasn’t sure at all how long they had been sitting there. They all just looked at each other for a moment, before Greg came to his senses and moved. He had been sitting in the passenger seat with the door open, presumably, so he could talk to Will, who was sitting on the ground next to the car. He jumped up, and he stepped over to Rhett. “Hey, man.” Greg’s voice was gentle, soft-spoken as if he was afraid that he might somehow upset Rhett again. “You feeling better, man?”

Rhett shrugged as he responded, “I dunno.. I’m tired.” 

Greg nodded, and he was about to speak again when Will spoke up. “Let’s just head home, guys. We all need a rest after today.” Rhett nodded, actually grateful that Will had gotten him out of speaking to anybody. Greg offered a hand he took it and stood up. 

All three of the other men gave Rhett concerned glances, although no one said anything as they all piled back into the car. Rhett climbed into the back this time around, and he leaned up against the door. He felt exhausted to the core. His chest  still felt inexplicably tight, and his hands were still shaking. Deep down (or not so deep down) Rhett was still afraid. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in Link’s arms, have the man hold him close and whisper sweet nothings to him until he was either relaxed or sound asleep. Unfortunately, Link couldn’t do that now. He was in the hospital, with a broken pelvis and a terrible concussion. And there wasn’t a damn thing Rhett could do about it.

“You sure you’re alright, man?” Greg asked the question. He was in the back now, sitting next to Rhett. Rhett was  grateful for the temporary distraction from his thoughts, although he wasn’t keen on talking at the moment.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I’m good.”

“Good… He’s alright, you know. He’s just hit his head real hard. He’s gonna get better, man. Just a matter of time.”

Rhett didn’t try to scoff, but he couldn’t really help it. “How do you know I was even worried about that, man?”

Will looked over his shoulder at Rhett, giving the man an incredulous look. Rhett felt a twinge of nervousness in his stomach. Greg answered again, “You kept saying his name, man.”

Rhett pursed his lips. He hadn’t even realized. This time, he didn’t respond. He knew that he’d just make a fool of himself somehow. It would be better if he was quiet. So, he remained quiet, and he looked back out the window. 

The trees on either side of the road went by in a blur. The thin bare branches were covered in snow that was left over from the storm that had passed through days ago. With his head resting against the window, Rhett could feel the chilling glass on his head. He didn’t mind, though. At that moment, he was warm enough that he figured he would be fine with leaving the windows wide open. He felt like he could really use some fresh air, considering everything that had happened. His friends, however, wouldn’t be as accepting of that idea, so he decided against actually opening any of the windows. Instead, he just closed his eyes and tried to relax. It didn’t necessarily work, but he was going to try anyway. His panic attack had exhausted him beyond the point of just being tired. He guessed he couldn’t keep his eyes open at the moment even if he really wanted to.

When they arrived back at Mark’s house, Rhett avoided everyone. He didn’t want to talk again about what had happened in the car, and he especially didn’t want to have a conversation about Link. 

He went immediately downstairs to the couch where he knew that he would be sleeping that night, and he laid down, curling up so that his large body could fit on the couch. If Link had been there, the two would have taken the time to pull out the mattress under the cushions and find pillows to put on the couch, anything so that they could sleep together in each other's arms. Link wasn’t there, though, and he felt too tired to put forth the effort. He wasn’t comfortable in any sense of the word he could think of, but he knew that no matter what he had, whatever Link had was probably worse, considering his broken pelvis and fleeting memories. 

He laid there for a long time, staring at the wall across from him, just observing it silently. He listened to people moving around above and below him, and he heard muffled voices having happy sounding conversations. He tried his best to ignore it, and it grew to be much easier as the darkness of exhaustion finally found its way to the edges of his vision.

It took a long time, but once the others in the house made their way to wherever they were able to sleep, Rhett managed to relax just enough to let himself drift into an uneasy state of unconsciousness. 

Rhett woke up at some time very early in the morning, although he was barely awake enough to truly consider himself awake. He peered around the darkened room, only able to make out faint shapes in the shade of twilight curling its way into the room through cracks in the thick curtains. He slowly sat up, squinting around the room. He barely recognized it from the night before, although, with the darkness and how tired he’d been, he was sure that was why. He needed a bathroom, and he recalled Mark having mentioned one nearby the night before. Somewhere, in the distance, he thought he could see the dark outline of the door. Clumsily he got up, making his way over and somehow not running into one of the many objects in the room on the way there. 

When he entered the bathroom, Rhett took a moment to find the light switch. When his fumbling hand finally found the switch and he flipped it, he flinched at the bright light. Squinting into the harsh, faded yellow light, Rhett closed the door, so he wouldn’t wake anyone that may have joined him in the other room while he hadn’t been paying attention. He took a moment as soon as the door was shut to let his eyes finally adjust to the bright light. He blinked quickly, trying to lessen the pain the bright light was causing his eyes. When he finally managed to open his eyes all the way, he looked up at the mirror in front of him.

When he saw himself, he couldn’t say he wasn’t surprised by what he saw. Less than 12 hours ago he’d been in top condition. Showered, wide-eyed and smiling. Now, though, it was a different story. Under his eyes, there were bags, which made his eyes look more pronounced than they previously had. His hair - though it was short, buzzed to be only an inch and a half - was sticking up and matted down in all the wrong places. When he leaned closer to look more closely at himself, Rhett also realized that his face appeared to be more hollow. At that moment, he realized that in all of the excitement, he hadn’t eaten since the day before yesterday. He blamed most of his current condition on that fact. 

With slow, mechanical movements, Rhett managed to get his hair to remain in some altered state of acceptable and he washed his face. After he dried it off, Rhett avoided looking at himself again. For the time being, he’d had enough of that. He hung up the brand new hand towel carefully, trying not to mess up the bathroom too much. This was a trait he’d picked up from Link, the man who kept everything pristine for as long as possible. As he exited the bathroom, he made sure to shut the light off. 

After he left the bathroom, the next hours seemed to go by in the same mechanical state he’d been in since the accident the day before. Everyone woke up at varying times, and Mark made breakfast for everyone. Rhett couldn’t eat it, though. His stomach was churning, enough so that a mere thought of food made him feel nauseous. When they finished eating, Rhett didn’t waste much time convincing everyone to return to the hospital. Although, it wasn’t actually until hours later that they ended up at the hospital. Greg and Will, as it turns out, happen to be very skilled procrastinators. They’d spent a majority of the time making sure they’d grabbed all of their keys, wallets, and their clothing they’d packed.

When they arrived at the hospital, Rhett found himself so suddenly struck by anxiety that Greg had to usher the others out of the car so that he could talk Rhett into finally entering the building. It took some convincing, of course, but Greg did eventually managed  to convince Rhett that Link would be in a better condition, and he probably would recognize them when they entered. Reluctantly, still, Rhett then entered the building with Greg at his side.

As they walked down the paisley and white halls, which were lined with countless doors and not a single window, Rhett felt himself growing more nervous. The fluorescent lights made everything seem unnatural, even more so, seemingly, because every color in the hospital was muted and faded by years of use. 

The four men were informed that they could, in fact, visit Link, although they could only do so one at a time. Everyone agreed that Rhett would be the first to go visit the man. Rhett was grateful, of course, but he also found himself hating the other men for it because he was still so incredibly nervous to see his boyfriend. 

Nevertheless, Rhett made his way into the same room that he had been in the night before. The same muted colors covered everything, the walls, the floors, even the bed and the man in it. Rhett let his eyes travel the room for a long time, taking in the machinery, the window on the opposite wall which barely revealed anything outside, and then, finally, he let his eyes settle on Link. The man looked somehow even smaller than Rhett had recalled. He was lying on the bed, the same yellow sign in his hand, looking at it curiously. He looked like he hadn’t slept since before they had left their apartment the previous morning. Rhett realized that he probably hasn’t. Last he’d heard, people couldn’t sleep when they had a concussion. He was fairly certain it could cause damage or something. Either way, there were dark bags under Link’s blue eyes, and his jaw was covered by several days worth of stubble, which made his carefully shaven Dick Van-Dyke seem much sloppier than ever intended. On top of that, it also made the smaller man appear to be more tired at first glance. Rhett had to take a breath and almost brace himself before he walked over and sat in the chair next to Link. Rhett hadn’t noticed when Link had looked up, but he did notice the man watching him walk over, his baby blue eyes full of wonder.

“Are you another doctor?” Link asked the question with a curious look on his face. It was a look that only grew to be more curious as he watched Rhett’s face fall. 

Rhett knew that a frown instantly spread across his face because of Link’s question, although, he really couldn’t help it. Link had forgotten him again. With the amount of hope that had been instilled into Rhett’s uneasy mind by Greg’s words in the car and by the man’s own thoughts, Rhett was extremely disappointed. “No, Link,” he answered with a measured tone, doing his best to keep the disappointment out of his voice. “I’m Rhett. You know me. You’ve known me since you were six.” When Link gave him a suspicious look, Rhett sighed. Of course, the man had no reason to believe him. Some man walks in that he doesn’t remember ever meeting before, and he tells him that he’d known him for nearly 14 years, it’s understandably unbelievable. 

It took Rhett a moment to think of something, anything that could possibly make Link believe him. After a moment, though, he was struck with an idea. Rhett hastily reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He wasn’t normally a very affectionate guy, and he never seemed to hold onto things the way his boyfriend always did. But, he always made an exception for Link. This happened to be one of those exceptions. He opened his wallet, and he handed it to Link. Inside, where one might normally keep simply dollar bills, there were multiple photos of himself and Link. 

Link took the wallet in one hand, still holding the yellow sign in his other hand. Staring at the wallet, it seemed to take the man a moment to realize what he was to be doing with it. Finally, Rhett saw the man’s eyes scan over it, observing the other man’s wallet, which was in the clear pocket on the front of the wallet. After a moment, Rhett saw Link’s brows furrow, and he hoped that would be a good sign. The smaller man sat the wallet he was holding on his lap, and with one hand, he awkwardly managed to pull out the photos, which had caught his eyes because they had been sticking up over the edge of the inner pocket. He looked at the pictures for some time, examining them. Some were old, back from the first days they had met. They were stained, folded and ripped at the edges, weak at the seams in the middle where they had been folded and unfolded countless times by the man they belonged to. Others were newer, taken weeks before. The two were smiling in nearly all of the pictures, and they were often dressed in some ridiculous outfit, or they were doing some ridiculous pose, like standing on one leg, their other legs bent, as they tightly held each other’s hands. Rhett noticed Link’s eyes flashing with a few different emotions, but they were all gone as quickly as they came. After a moment, he smiled, handing the wallet back to Rhett. “I don’t remember you.”

The sheer blunt nature of the statement struck Rhett, and he almost let himself flinch. He figured it would be a bad idea, though, so he forced himself to sit still. “I know, Link.” Rhett took the wallet, smiling very slightly at the brunet as he slipped it back into his pocket. 

“Why don’t I?”

“You hit your head, Link.”

“Oh, right. I almost forgot! It says that here on my sign!” Link smiled widely, and he held up his hand, turning it so that Rhett could see the sign he was still holding. 

Rhett smiled at him, and he nodded. He was about to speak when the door opened and a doctor walked in. Rhett and Link both looked up at the doctor, and the doctor looked back at them, smiling as he walked over. 

“Hey, doc!” Link grinned, and he pointed to Link. “Look! I’ve got a friend here! He knows me.” Link lowered his voice to a whisper. “I don’t remember him, though. He says it’s ‘cause I hit my head.”

“I think he’s right, Mr. Neal.” The doctor replied, smiling a little. The two looked at the brunet for a moment, before the doctor turned his attention to Rhett. “I’ll, uh, skip any small talk, if you don’t mind. Would you mind stepping out into the hall with me Mr. McLaughlin?”

Rhett felt his stomach turn over, and he looked at Link for a moment. Link looked confused, and Rhett could blame him. He wished he could comfort that man, but at the moment, he knew it was impossible. Link wouldn’t remember it, anyway, and that’s why the doctor wanted to speak with Rhett alone. He almost didn’t want to hear what the doctor would say. Nevertheless, he looked back at the man in front of him, and he nodded. “Sure, yeah.”

Smiling at the confused brunet, Rhett stood, and he followed the doctor out into the hall. As soon as the door to Link’s small room was shut, the doctor began to speak. “We tried to contact Mr. Neal’s mother, although she didn’t pick up the phone. You were the next on his list of emergency contacts.”

Rhett nodded. He didn’t want to ask, but he felt like something was forcing the words out of his mouth. He couldn’t stop himself from blurting out the question, “Okay. What’s wrong with him?”

“Mr. Neal has a broken pelvis.” Rhett nodded. “He’ll need to be on bed rest until he feels well enough to use crutches. He’ll have to use those for a few weeks, although, probably no more than two months.”

Rhett nodded once again. “Did you tell him that?”

“We have informed Mr. Neal, of course. He seems to have forgotten, though.”

“Of course… So what does that mean about his memory?”

The doctor’s face fell at the question, and the man let out a long, quiet sigh. Rhett realized he was probably hoping not to have to answer that question, just like Rhett didn’t want to ask it. As reasons why that might be filled Rhett’s mind, the man felt his heart jump into his throat, the panicked feeling he’d had the night before returning to him. He stared at the doctor, willing him not to say that Link’s memory wouldn’t return. He knew it wouldn’t help anything, but what else could he do? Hope was about all he had at the moment.

“Well…” The doctor’s voice was slow, carefully measured, as if he wanted to make sure he was choosing the correct words. “There appears to have been a very slight improvement, although he can’t remember anything for more than a minute. I’m not sure if he knows his own name, though, without looking at his card. He has a bad concussion, I’m afraid, and I don’t-”

Rhett quickly interjected, interrupting the man. He felt bad, but he had to know; “Will it come back? His memory, I mean”

The doctor started at Rhett for a long moment, and the whole time Rhett felt icy tendrils of dread snaking their way up from his stomach into his heart, making a cold chill spread across his body, and weighing down all rational thought and feeling. As the doctor finally opened his mouth to speak, Rhett felt like his brain was doing backflips.

“I can’t say it will. I am very sorry, sir.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter is lacking in any way! It's been a very long week and all, and I'm still not entirely sure where I'm going.   
> Kinda scary.  
> Anyway, thank you all for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Link’s pov**

 

I looked around the little room I was in, taking note of a few of the obvious things. It was a hospital room, and I was the patient. The walls were a badly faded white on the top half, and about halfway down, there was a white chair rail with light blue wallpaper under it. The floors were white laminate, covered with black speckles. The ceilings were similarly speckled, although the cheap looking tiles were much larger, and probably made from something like foam. I couldn’t be sure. The bedsheets were a faded shade of white, and the blanket on top was a light, paisley blue that almost matched the faded blue on the wall. It was ugly. There wasn’t another word I could think of to describe it. Once I got past the initial sight of the room, though, I couldn’t help but wonder why I was in a hospital. It wasn’t until then that I noticed there was a very real pain in my head and in my left hip. I had no idea why, though.

I looked down at myself, then, only to discover, to my dismay, that there was an IV in my arm.  _ I really hate IVs…  _ I was honestly tempted to reach over and yank it out when I saw a bright yellow flash of something  in the corner of my eye. Since it had caught my attention, I looked over at it curiously. Somehow, I hadn’t noticed the paper I had been holding in my hand.  _ Weird. I should have noticed that.  _ I moved to hold it up so I could read what was written on it when suddenly the door opened. It startled me, enough so that I jumped, and I pressed the sign against my stomach as I looked at the door.

A doctor walked into the room, followed by a very tall, lanky man. I’d never seen either of them, but the man behind the doctor looked considerably distressed, and his hair was messy, like he hadn’t washed it for a couple days. The doctor stopped at the foot of the bed, and he smiled at me as he put a clipboard at the foot of the bed. “Mr. Neal.” He spoke kindly, with a nod of his head, like it was some sort of greeting. I looked around, thinking maybe there was someone else he was talking to. I didn’t see anyone else, besides the very tall man.  _ He was looking at me, but why’d he say that? My name is… What is my name? Why don’t I remember?  _ I looked back at him after a moment, but he was walking away, and before I had a chance to speak, the door was shut.  _ That means... _ I looked around the room once more, and finally, my eyes landed on the man that had come in behind the doctor. I was most definitely alone with him now.

He was sitting in the chair that was next to my bed, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He was staring down at my bed, his eyes glazed over like he was completely zoned out. His hands were crossed in front of him, he had thin, messy stubble on his chin, and his hair looked even more disheveled this close up. I pursed my lips, wondering if I should try to talk to him. He looked friendly enough, but he didn’t look as if he was planning on saying anything. I waited quietly for a few moments before I finally spoke. 

“Are you a doctor?” I waited for a moment, but there was no response from the man.  _ Weird. He didn’t seem to hear me at all… Is he ignoring me or something?  _ Assumptions aren’t any good. I’m not sure why, but I’m pretty sure they aren’t. Nevertheless, I assumed the man was ignoring me, and I was annoyed. I reached out, and before he or I realized what was happening, my hand was on the man’s shoulders. “Hello?”

The man seemed to very suddenly snap into reality, and at that moment, he looked around the room for what looked like the first time.  _ Gee,  _ I wondered,  _ is that what I looked like a minute ago? I hope not.  _ As he gathered himself, I leaned back, trying not to wince at the pain I felt in my hip as I shifted.

“Uh- Sorry, Link-”

I looked at the man, raising an eyebrow at him. He stopped speaking when I did so.  _ Link. What’s that? _ I just decided to go back to my first question. “Are you a doctor?”

The man looked really sad all of a sudden. He looked down, frowning. “Oh.. No, I’m not. I’m actually one of your friends, Link. My name’s Rhett.”

I stared at him.  _ I swear I’ve never seen him before. But.. He knows me?  _ Confusing thoughts made my head hurt even worse. Luckily, the man - Rhett - seemed to notice. He pointed to the sign I had forgotten I was holding. “Read that, if you haven’t.”

I nodded, and I lifted the sign, reading it slowly out loud. “‘Charles Neal.’ Is that me?” Rhett nodded, and I went back to the paper. “‘ January 9, 1999.’ Is that today?” Another nod. “‘Charles Neal, you  fell snowboarding. You are at Watauga Medical Center. You have a  concussion and a broken  pelvis .’” I looked at Rhett. He looked back at me like he was waiting for me to speak. I just looked back at the paper. “That explains my headache…” I looked back at Rhett, and I think he tried to hide it, but I saw him smile.

“Yeah... Your memory, too. It’s been wacky since  you hit your head.” Rhett’s smile was gone.The man still looked distant, like he was at risk to just drop off the conversation at any moment and go back to hiding in his own thoughts. He looked really upset about something. Maybe it was the memory thing he had just mentioned. I couldn’t be sure. 

“You know me.”

“Yeah, Link.”

I frowned. He sighed. He was being short with me, and I had no idea why. I looked away from him with a sigh of my own. Everything seemed tense, all of a sudden, and it remained that way until he spoke up. 

“Sorry,” Rhett muttered the word, and I hardly understood him. I looked at him again only to discover he looked genuinely sorry, and tired. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”

I nodded a little, laying my head back on the bed and looking at the wall across from me. “Ah. I don’t know if I did. I.. I don’t remember, man. Don't feel like it, though.”

Rhett gave me a look that looked sympathetic, although I wasn’t quite sure who he was really feeling sorry for, since he only responded with a look, and then he seemed to drift back into his thoughts, whatever they may be. 

I let out a loud sigh, looking up at the ceiling. The fluorescent lights made my head hurt, but there wasn’t much else to look at. The pounding in my skull hadn’t subsided since I’d woken up. I looked back at the sign in my hand.  _ A concussion. It even sounds painful.  _

I laid my head down once again, and I let my eyes close. The darkness made my head feel immediately better, so I kept them closed tightly. Although, since the pain in my head had partially subsided, my pain in my hip began to flare up. I ignored it as well as I could, even as I uncomfortable shifted for a few moments. I was sure the man was watching, but I couldn't bring myself to care. It really hurt a lot. I managed, though, to get into a comfortable position and I stayed there until everything faded to black and I fell into what felt like sleep. 

I felt a little confusion when I heard someone groaning. It wasn’t until I felt a hand on my arm and it stopped as I opened my eyes that I realized that it was actually me. 

I turned my head to look at the hand on my arm, and then I followed the arm until my eyes settled on the face of man next to me.  _ What was his name again..?  _ “Sorry about that, man… Didn’t mean to.”

The man nodded.  _ Who is he?  _ “It’s alright, Link. You’re hurt, man.”

_ Link? What?  _ “Are you a doctor?” I was curious. I don’t recall ever meeting this man before… Although, the disappointment and distress on his face when I asked the question was quite obvious.  _ I wonder why he looks so upset..  _

“No,” he answered softly, “I’m not, Link. Read your sign...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never written in first person pov before now. Whoops. I hope it's alright-  
> Also, I'm really sorry that this one is so short! I tried to make it longer, but I thought that was a good place to end it.
> 
> Edit 4/13: Hey all! You guys have all been wonderful thus far, and I really can't thank you enough for all of the great comments and kudos!  
> Although, I have to inform you all that it's tech week for my musical, so I have rehearsals every night from 5-9, so I don't expect the next chapter will be up on time. My apologies!


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